This invention relates to such items as lottery tickets, commercial game coupons and identification coupons and more particularly to the application of imagery and data on the item such that the information printed is both permanent and tamper proof. Lottery games, as well as other chance games wherein a number of tickets are sold, have become increasingly popular in recent years. The key problem to a promoter associated with such games is fraud. The data printed on the ticket must be both permanent and tamper proof to insure the integrity of the game.
Numerous prior art lottery tickets exist, which attempt to insure the reliability of the game. Several prior art tickets exist which incorporate laminates having at least one releasable coating which when removed exposes the image data and therefore prevents undetected tampering. Examples of these prior art devices are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,095,824 to Bachman, 4,120,445 to Carrier and 4,299,637 to Oberdeck. U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,445 discloses a ticket whose image data cannot be detected by an intervening person without subsequent mutilation of the ticket. None of the aforementioned prior art devices protect the image data printed on the ticket from manipulation. European Pat. No. 1887/12 Nov. 1980, discloses a tamper proof identification card involving a silk screen printing process wherein a photo-sensitive solution including a diazonium salt, coupler, stabilizer, resin and solvent are applied to a transparent plastic support. The photo-sensitive solution is dried and irradiated with ultraviolet light. The non-exposed areas are then developed with an alkaline solution. A resinous film is applied and the support is heated followed by cooling, thereby locking the image between the laminate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,784 to Nishiguchi et al discloses an image forming process wherein the image forming particles containing a subliminal dye are heated causing the dye to sublime into a photo-conductive support. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,266,229 and 4,258,367 to Mansukhani disclose jet ink compositions including one diazo derivative which is applied to a plastic coated base and irradiated with ultraviolet light to produce a visible image.
The aforementioned prior art devices either cover the image data with a releasable coating which would indicate tampering or sublime the image data into a plastic base and bond a permanent plastic film over the image bearing plastic base. None of the prior art patents disclose the diffusion of the image data into all the surrounding resinous layers. Accordingly, the resulting ticket will offer a high degree of security and image permanency not formally available with other image tickets.